Jugglers: Episode 11

It’s amazing how much of romance comes down to timing, and Yoon-yi and Chi-won’s timing couldn’t possibly be worse. It’s hard enough to begin a relationship when everything else runs smoothly, but there are personal and professional storms looming on the horizon. If they’re smart, they’ll look to each other for support, but that’s easier said than done when you’ve just barely begun to put your trust in someone.

EPISODE 11: “Is the past really powerless?”

Chi-won meets up with his ex-wife in the building’s lobby, and she gives him a big hug and a smile. She links arms with him and her father, Vice President Do, and the three head out together. Yoon-yi watches them go, dismay written all over her face.

Six hours earlier.

The older team members are all stiff and sore after their drunken brawl the night before, though nobody really remembers exactly what happened. They do know that Chang-soo started it, but they can’t figure out why, since it’s not like they’d be fighting over a girl. Ha, way off as usual.

Yoon-yi brings tea to Chi-won as he inspects his bruises, and she grins and says that they’re kinda sexy. Flattered, Chi-won tries to roll his sleeves up to impress her with is bare forearms, but fails since he’s still wearing his jacket, ha.

He invites her to come watch him box, but she declines, since he’d have to take his glasses off and she prefers him with them on. She leaves as Chi-won wonders if that was an insult or a compliment.

Chang-soo approaches Yoon-yi in the break room, but his attempts to garner sympathy for his own injuries go unacknowledged. Instead, Yoon-yi snaps at him to stop drinking, because he lets his temper get the better of him when he drinks. To his credit, Chang-soo looks chastened, and he goes to Chi-won’s office to apologize.

He offers to write an apology note, but Chi-won tells him that he should resign. If he doesn’t, Chi-won says that another incident will definitely call for his resignation. He adds an admonishment for Chang-soo not to embarrass Yoon-yi again, or make her ashamed of the five years she spent with him.

Chang-soo goes out to tell Yoon-yi that he apologized, looking for her approval. She rewards him with a genuine smile, then growls at him to get lost.

Yul’s team gossips in the elevator, wondering why Chi-won decided to team up on Yul’s project. They conclude that he’s gunning for the vice president position, which would mean that Executive Director Jo is done for.

After they leave, Executive Director Jo comes out from behind his newspaper where he was eavesdropping. He sees the scrolling sign taunting him with a vicious, “Cut, cut, cut!” The door opens and Chi-won catches him trying to knock it down, hee.

Chi-won says that he’s headed to the vice president’s office, and Executive Director Jo snarls that he’ll become the chairman before too long. He warns Chi-won not to fall while climbing that ladder, and Chi-won says casually, “Oh right, like you?” Oooo, burn.

He finds Vice President Do having porridge for breakfast, and he makes him laugh by asking if his bruises are sexy. Vice President Do mentions his collaboration with Yul’s e-sports project, and the fact that he even went to a team dinner and got in a fight.

Chi-won asks if Vice President Do is stalking him, but Vice President Do says that he’s just showing interest and that Chi-won should show some interest in him, too. Chi-won grabs a spoon and digs into Vice President Do’s porridge, and he looks startled when Vice President Do says that Do-hee, Chi-won’s ex-wife, is visiting today.

Executive Director Jo heads to the basement, where he meets with two informants that we only see as vague shadows. He threatens to “cut” them from his line if they don’t produce a picture of Chi-won and Yoon-yi together, and when they argue that they’re busy with work (in cartoonish squeaks instead of words), he kicks them in the shins.

Jung-ae’s son Gun-woo visits her at work unexpectedly, and she takes him to lunch to get him away from the building. She asks where he was yesterday when she couldn’t find him, and he says that he went to see his grandmother. But when Jung-ae asks if they discussed his father, Gun-woo spits angrily that his father is dead.

She has to go back to work, so she gives Gun-woo the little cash she has and asks if he’s hanging out with a bad crowd. He retorts that she doesn’t care, that she’s just using him as an excuse to pose as Mi-ae the same way his father used him as an excuse to leave, and he storms out.

The team invites Chi-won to lunch, but he says he has plans to meet with his landlord. Hee, cute. Yoon-yi gets his drift, and he mock-chastises her for forgetting. A few seconds later he texts her a map to his “hideout,” and when she arrives, she finds him settled in a chair at his favorite comic book store.

He pretends to be offended when Yoon-yi says she was expecting someplace fancier, and he imperiously calls for an employer to bring her “Set A,” which turns out to be ramyun and boiled eggs. As she eats, she asks Chi-won what he likes about comic books.

He says he likes the interesting worlds they portray, so Yoon-yi asks what about Chi-won’s world. He says seriously, “It’s about to get more interesting, thanks to someone.” Then he cringes at his own cheesiness and hides behind his book. Okay, when did he get so precious?

She asks him to draw her as a character, and though Chi-won objects that he can’t draw, he complies. Yoon-yi is less than impressed, asking how it looks like her, and Chi-won proudly points out her full lips. So freaking cute.

Back at the office, the team are trying to figure out who could have sent the love note addressed to “Mr. Nitpicky.” They work out an elaborate plan to determine the writer and the recipient, until Chang-soo wanders by, recognizes Yoon-yi’s handwriting, and eats the note. HA.

Yul orders two of the coffee shop’s sweetest drinks as Jung-ae stands nearby looking crestfallen. Kyung-rye assumes that her mood is because of Yul, but Jung-ae tries to explain that it was Gun-woo. Yul interrupts and proudly hands Jung-ae one of the drinks, saying that sweets are the best thing when you’re down. Awww, sweet boy.

As they head back to the elevators, a woman recognizes Jung-ae and calls out to her, calling her “Gun-woo’s mom.” Jung-ae hides her face and pounds on the elevator button, and when Yul asks (he thinks Gun-woo is her nephew), she says that she looks almost identical to her sister.

He asks why she ran away from the woman, so she claims a stomachache. He appears to buy her story, blaming the extra whipped cream.

Executive Director Jo happens by Bo-na’s father’s shoe repair shop just as Bo-na is having lunch with her dad. He recognizes him as the man who was in his office the night he yelled at Bo-na, and he makes a call to to the YG security office.

Bo-na answers a summons from Kyung-rye, and she’s not happy to find that it’s a setup to get her and Yoon-yi to talk. Yoon-yi starts by saying that she should have told her about the product defect before they revealed it to the entire company.

She’s shocked when Bo-na says that she already knew Yoon-yi was one of Executive Director Jo’s informants, and that she and Chi-won are dating. She says that she kept quiet to preserve Yoon-yi’s feelings, accusing Yoon-yi of never even thinking about her while everything was going down.

She says coldly that unless they get new bosses, they’re heading in different directions, and she walks away without a backward glance. That’s when Yoon-yi sees Chi-won leaving with his ex-wife, and the double-blow leaves Yoon-yi reeling.

Over tea, Vice President Do tells Chi-won petulantly that he’s using up his sick days before he retires by going on a trip with his daughter, “since you won’t play with me.” He leaves abruptly, stranding Chi-won with his ex-wife. Do-hee tells Chi-won that she can’t live without him, and she wants to reconcile.

Yoon-yi finds reasons to be in Chi-won’s office, and she brightens when she gets a text from him. But all it says is to cancel his appointments for the day, and she resists the urge to ask why, and when he’s coming back.

That afternoon Bo-na gets a text, and she runs out while Executive Director Jo smirks in his office. She finds her father being manhandled by two security guards, who tell her that they’ve been ordered not to let him in the building because a confidential document disappeared after he’d been in an executive’s office.

Executive Director Jo waits a few minutes then heads downstairs, flubbing his dramatic coat-flip. He arrives in the lobby as Bo-na struggles to free herself from a guard’s wrist-grab, and he clamps down on the guard’s arm in a hilarious parody of Chi-won’s dramatic rescue of Yoon-yi at the noraebang.

He threatens the guard, who lets go of Bo-na, while Bo-na looks at him admiringly. He leads her to his office where he promises to straighten everything out, calling her an admirable daughter whose father should be proud. He mentions that she could be the vice president’s assistant soon, sending her emotions into a tailspin.

Yoon-yi offers to handle some paperwork for Ms. Moon just for the excuse to call Chi-won. He’s driving when he answers, and he says stiffly that he doesn’t know when he’s going back to the office. Suddenly a woman’s voice cries out, calling him “oppa,” as he nearly rear-ends another car.

Chi-won hangs up when Yoon-yi asks who’s with him, saying he’ll call her later. She sits at her desk obsessing about that female voice, then she goes to the break room to gulp down an entire bottle of water. Chang-soo sneaks up to talk to her, and sneaks right back out again at the fierce look on her face.

After thinking about it, Bo-na goes to Executive Director Jo and tells him that she’s with him. Grinning triumphantly, he shows her a photo of Chi-won and Yoon-yi outside the house and says that he needs something more incriminating to prove that they’re living together. True to her word to think only of herself from now on, she agrees to help.

As she walks home that night, Yoon-yi is still seething over that feminine “oppa.” Suddenly, she sees Chi-won and Do-hee, just as Chi-won is telling his ex that it’s over between them. He says he’s seeing someone, but Do-hee refuses to accept it, and she pulls him close for a kiss.

Yoon-yi screams, “NOOO!” and runs over, but oops, it’s just a random couple. She walks away still ranting about Do-hee and why she’d come back to confuse Chi-won. She works herself in to a frenzy, and by the time she’s done, she’s calling Chi-won a wishy-washy loser and snarling that she hates him, ha.

She arrives home to find her brother Tae-yi lying around in the middle of a mess, and she directs her fury at him. He tells her that Chi-won was considered a “legend of legends” in his army unit because he had a gorgeous girlfriend who always sent letters and gifts.

He yammers carelessly that someone with such an incredible girlfriend could never be satisfied with her, until she screams profanities at him and kicks him out into the cold.

Chi-won is still with Do-hee, and they end up at the hospital, where Vice President Do is sleeping in a patient room. When he wakes, Vice President Do says that the doctors found something that might be cancer, so he’s here for tests.

Upset, Chi-won yells that he’s told Vice President Do to stop smoking and drinking, and take better care of himself. He gets choked up at the thought of something happening to Vice President Do, who he’s calling “uncle” now, and Vice President Do jokes that he’s already trying to send him off before they even know if he’s sick.

Later Do-hee finds Chi-won in the lobby, and they try to reassure each other that Vice President Do will be okay. Do-hee says that she’s less afraid with Chi-won here, but he asks if he was ever really someone she could rely on. She says he was, but that he also made her lonely.

Chi-won checks his watch, and when Do-hee asks if someone is waiting for him, he just tells her to go rest and relieve him in the morning. She correctly guesses that his changing the subject means there’s a girlfriend waiting. She admits that hearing that hurts because she doesn’t want to lose him to another woman.

Chi-won stays at the hospital all night, watching over Vice President Do as he sleeps. He tucks Vice President Do in when he shucks off his covers, smiling as he asks wistfully, “When did you get so old?”

Worried sick, Yoon-yi stays up all night, and she rushes out when Chi-won finally arrives home in the early morning. He teases her about the dark circles under her eyes, and she blasts him for making her worry by not calling like he promised.

Watch the video

Who can’t forgive those eyes?

When she finally stops for breath, Chi-won knows she’s not finished, and he asks, “And?” Yoon-yi asks why his ex-wife was at the office and why he hugged her in front of everyone. Chi-won just hugs her tightly, not letting go when she struggles, then he backs up to look her in the eyes as he says sincerely, “I’m sorry.”

They go upstairs and lie face-to-face on Chi-won’s bed as he tells her that he was at the hospital. He admits that he feels bad for never playing with Vice President Do when he asked, saying that he was having so much fun with Yoon-yi that he forgot about his friend.

He explains that that’s why he felt too guilty to call her while he was at the hospital with Vice President Do. Yoon-yi tells him to make time for Vice President Do from now on, and Chi-won touches her face and says sleepily that he wants to keep looking at her but he’s too tired. Before he falls asleep he promises to do everything Yoon-yi wants to do tomorrow.

Jung-ae goes to Gun-woo’s room to tell him that she has to work today, but he hides under the covers and refuses to speak to her. She gets a call from Team Leader Baek, asking her to stop by Yul’s house on her way into the office, since he hasn’t shown up and isn’t answering his phone.

Executive Director Jo stakes out Yoon-yi’s house wearing the worst fake mustache ever. He aims his camera at the gate, crooning for them to come out. But Yoon-yi’s idea of having Chi-won do whatever she wants all day is to stay in while he cleans her house, hee.

He’s confused, having assumed that she’d want to go on a date. Yoon-yi lounges around eating snacks and playing on her phone while Chi-won whines about the filth. This is the best.

She offers to cook for him and starts grabbing ingredients from the fridge. Chi-won notices that everything has expiration dates from over a decade ago, and he understands why her cooking is so bad. He slams the food down and says, “Yoon-yi, let’s…” She looks nervous, but he finishes with “… go out to eat.” HA.

Yul dresses in his nicest suit and lays out a tiny tray of food, placing his puppet on the tray. He says, “Mom, it’s not much, but eat a lot.” Oh, how sad. Yul frowns at the puppet and chides his mother for not leaving behind at least one photo. His chin wobbles as he adds that if his mom wants a better memorial offering, she should send him a nice girl to be her daughter-in-law.

When Jung-ae arrives, she sees the scant offering and asks Yul if he’s okay. He pastes on a smile, pretending it’s no big deal. She prepares a warm meal for Yul to share with his mother, and he looks shaken for a moment before asking her to eat with them.

She sets herself a place and joins him, and Yul starts to cry. He fibs that he’s just tearing up because the food tastes so good, but then he starts sobbing in earnest. Jung-ae rubs his back as he wails for his mother like a lost child.

Jung-ae tells him gently, “If a mother sees her son crying so sadly, she’ll be more heartbroken. So cry today, and be strong again starting tomorrow.” Yul sniffles and asks her not to tell anyone he cried, and she agrees that it’s their secret.

Outside, Yul’s father’s minion shows up and sees Yul and Jung-ae eating together. He makes a call and tells the other person that their relationship seems suspicious, advising them to “make the announcement now.”

After lunch, Yoon-yi and Chi-won each get a different flavor of steamed bun and split them, and Yoon-yi says this is the best part about having a boyfriend. Always practical, Chi-won says that she could just eat two, making Yoon-yi grumble that he’s got no idea how dating works.

She asks if he did things like this with his ex-wife, and when he says Do-hee didn’t eat much, Yoon-yi protests that she was only making herself eat for his sake, ha. But Chi-won interjects that he likes women who eat a lot, and Yoon-yi starts stuffing her face again.

Suddenly she stops, realizing that she left her phone at home. She misses an SOS message from Tae-yi alerting her that their mother is in town and warning her not to get caught with Chi-won.

Mom arrives at the house to find Executive Director Jo still lurking in his car, having fallen asleep and missed Chi-won and Yoon-yi leaving together. She confronts him, and when he tells her to buzz off, she loses her temper and starts shaking him through the car window. She rips off the mustache and sees his face, and he drives away in a panic as she chases him on foot.

Do-hee is waiting in the courtyard when Chi-won and Yoon-yi arrive home, using the excuse of returning the scarf he left behind at the hospital to see him again. She notices that he’s holding Yoon-yi’s hand, and Yoon-yi tugs his hand closer defensively.

Chi-won tells Yoon-yi that he’ll talk to Do-hee privately and then come inside. He lets go of Yoon-yi’s hand and turns to lead Do-hee to the street, but Yoon-yi grabs his hand back and says, “No. You said you’d do everything I want today. Just stay with me. I… I won’t let you go.”

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Don’t let go

Epilogue.

On the night Chi-won stays at the hospital, Vice President Do admits that even though he wants Chi-won to be happy, seeing him with Do-hee is giving him ideas. He asks if it’s too selfish of him to want Chi-won to call him “Father” again, but Chi-won just stares at him.

COMMENTS

I found the title of today’s episode, “Is the past really powerless?” to be particularly meaningful considering the timing of events in Chi-won and Yoon-yi’s relationship. They’re so new and fragile, at that stage where the slightest misunderstanding could send everything crashing down around them. A person’s past strongly shapes who they are in the present, so you can’t really have a meaningful relationship with someone without taking their past into account. But when you’re Yoon-yi and you’ve just barely acknowledged your feelings for Chi-won, having his ex-wife pop up will naturally be more threatening than if she and Chi-won had been dating for a while and were more confident in where they stand.

Yoon-yi only knows what Chi-won has told her — that his marriage broke up because one of them loved more than the other. She doesn’t know which one loved the other more, and for all she knows it was Chi-won, and that he still has unresolved feelings for Do-hee. I’m pretty sure that’s not the case, because it’s obvious that Do-hee is the one still hanging on, but Yoon-yi has no way of knowing that. I don’t necessarily agree with her asking Chi-won not to speak with his ex, because ultimatums rarely lead anywhere good, especially this early in a relationship. But Yoon-yi wasn’t demanding or possessive, she just calmly asked Chi-won to keep his promise and choose her over his ex today, and I can’t really blame her for wanting to him to show her that she comes first, now.

I’m starting to think that Yul is onto Jung-ae and her lies about her age. He’s shown himself to be whip-smart and scarily observant, though he hides it behind his easygoing, affable nature, and I’d be more surprised if he wasn’t at least suspicious. But I wouldn’t put it past him to know the full truth already, because whenever he shows curiosity about the inconsistencies in Jung-ae’s story, he seems to accept her flimsy explanations much too easily. I may be reading too much into it, but I think Yul already knows. As much as trust and loyalty mean to him, I think that he’s just waiting to see when (or if) she’ll trust him enough to tell him the truth.

But as intelligent and insightful as he is, in a lot of ways Yul is still that lonely little boy without a mother. Not gonna lie, I was sobbing right along with him as he cried for his mom. I feel so bad for him, because he doesn’t really remember his mother, and what’s worse, he doesn’t even know what she looked like. He can’t truly mourn someone he’s never known, and I believe that what he truly mourns is the fact that he never had a chance to know her. It’s heartbreaking to see him cry over something he’ll never have, especially knowing that nobody in his life takes him seriously or treats him with respect for who he is, and not just because of his name. It’s why I’m so glad Yul has Jung-ae now, because what he needs most is someone who takes care of him and genuinely cares about him, and supports him no matter what.

We’re seeing a lot of character growth lately, particularly with Chi-won. I really appreciate that, while Chi-won and Yoon-yi’s relationship is definitely a contributing factor, it’s not the reason they’re changing into better people. Of course they’re having a positive effect on each other, but neither of them is changing because they think it’s what the other person wants. They simply see the example the other is setting in certain situations, and it makes them think about how they are and whether they want to be better. Yoon-yi is learning to be more careful in how she interacts with others, as she’s learning that her good intentions aren’t always seem that way by others, and in fact can be unintentionally hurtful. And Chi-won isn’t becoming more outgoing because Yoon-yi wants him to, but because watching her has shown him that being social and forming connections with people isn’t intrusive, but a way of caring for others.

January 11, 2018 at 12:14 PM

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Yoon-yi-ah, you really lost me this episode. When someone who looks like Daniel Choi invites you to watch him box, your reason to decline is that he won’t have his glasses on? What kind of bazarro world is this even if DC does look super smexy with his Harry Potter black-rim glasses on!!

January 11, 2018 at 12:29 PM

January 11, 2018 at 5:15 PM

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Could it be because... in a lot of mangas, office romance themes are quite... “adult”? No? Is it just my mind in the gutter? 🌚 maybe just me then, since he said it with such a cute smile. My gosh but I love how YY is just so open toward “adult genre”, it feels so much more realistic.

But I gotta I’m with her on this one, he looks wayyyy smexier with his glasses on. The boxing gear squishes his face 😂😂

January 11, 2018 at 6:03 PM

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Aigoo... it's so frustrating when they pretend to be shy and play hard to get, i like it when the female character take the lead and land the kiss first, like Moon Soo in Just Between Lovers one of the best female characters in kdrama.

January 11, 2018 at 1:27 PM

January 11, 2018 at 5:12 PM

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I think this is YY’s second relationship only (if I’m not wrong?) so I’d get why she’s maybe a little too naive about the whole thing. She seems like the sort to always see the good rather than the bad in people.

Oh man I loved that epilogue too! I generally like most of the epilogues in this show.

January 11, 2018 at 6:10 PM

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Yes, It’s a little out of character for her to just be all willy nilly about this relationship since her job means so much to her. I mean she gave up having sex with the beautiful Sung Hoon to answer a freakin phone call from her boss. Who does that?

January 12, 2018 at 8:48 AM

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<but he brokeup with her because of her ex jerk boss kept calling her and disturb them in their dates

Her ex boss was a jerk, but CC is the one the one who picked up the phone, never ever turning it off. If I were the boyfriend, I'd break with HER because of her failing to set boundaries, not because of the boss. Yes, yes, she was just working hard – but it's her choice to put work on top of everything.

January 12, 2018 at 8:54 AM

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I was a bit skeptical about the whole relationship, I know that it's ep 11 already but I still think it's too fast and only cause they happened to be living in the same building that things developed rapidly. And I YY is cute but I don't really feel Chi Won's sincerity or maybe he can't convince me, I just don't feel it, okay. Then if you are YY and he happens to have a gorgeous ex-wife who doesn't have any faults just that they grew apart, really? wasn't it Chi Won who's got the problem and not the girl, anyway, whatever. present time - they are divorced and ex wife wants him back, of course, he won't go back to her but will he really stay with Yoon Yi for good? I just don't feel it.
I forgot about Sung Hoon at the start but I really thought he was the main lead, I didn't read the cast or anything. I'd buy everything if it was Sung Hoon, there's just a certain coldness with Daniel Choi that leaves me very, very wary of his intentions. I'd listen to mom, Yoon Yi, run away from the divorced guy, he's out to break your heart, hahaha. In the real world, they would just be boyfriend/girlfriend, in the end she would have to marry someone else.

January 11, 2018 at 12:42 PM

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After all the trouble that she’s been through with her former boss, true rumors or not, got suspended for it, YY is taking this boss-assistant relationship way too lightly. She’s totally given up on her motto. Not a very good character arc.

Also, when is she ever gonna tell Bona off? She is too lenient with her, even after all Bona’s bitchy treatment of her. Bona witnessed what she went through with her former boss. She saw her work hard to keep her job too and be competent in it. Caring for a deaf father is hard, but it doesn’t mean YY has it easy. But all YU does is say “Bonaya” with misty eyes. Frustrating to see a character not speak up for herself even when it is so obvious that the other party has already thrown away the friendship.

January 11, 2018 at 12:48 PM

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It is puzzling to me that both YY and CW should take some preemptive measures like reporting their relationship to Human Resources, etc. especially given such a scarring experience YY had with her former boss. It doesn't look like the company has policy against it given how supportive CW's ex-father-in-law is toward their blossoming relationship.

January 11, 2018 at 3:38 PM

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Ikr? They are both single too. Aside from the conflict of office romance, their roles might raise some eyebrows, but I don’t think dating within the company is forbidden. Sneaking around and hiding it will definitely cause misunderstandings. All the accusations from the former boss fiasco is “proven” with her current relationship.

January 12, 2018 at 6:55 AM

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My head cannon is that CW plans to once he knows it's actually going somewhere. They haven't been dating for long, and they haven't exactly talked much about what they each want out the relationship. Imagine how annoying it would be if every single flirtationship had to be reported...

But this is just what I tell myself in order to cover plot holes. I haven't quite figured out how to smooth over how easy it was to convince YY to cast aside her motto with no second thoughts later.

January 12, 2018 at 9:06 AM

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On the subject of friendship, Yoon Yi's androgynous friend is not doing it for me, did they offer this role to Amber? She's not that busy, she would have been fun to watch. Is this the start of the gender bender role in Korean Dramas? like in Hwayugi they have the twin 'sister' of General Frost played by the same guy but the 'sister' is in drags,but anyway it's ok.

January 12, 2018 at 2:44 PM

I have thought of Amber too! The actress is okay, but given how limited her screen time and role is, we may never see the best out of this role. I hope they utilize her “mediator” role more.

I believe this might be a good intro for public awareness. I have also seen some significant movement in the industry on embracing gender-bender roles. The public is not yet ready, but small steps toward diversity are greatly appreciated.

January 11, 2018 at 12:45 PM

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Aww, Jung-ae and her sincere cooking always get to Yul's heart (and also mine). The fact that she didn't do it for any recognition or praise just make it even more sweet. They are truly just 2 lonely people who has been hurt and somehow found comfort in sharing a meal or making a meal for someone they care about. Maybe happiness is that simple: knowing that there is someone who is there for you when you're in the most vulnerable state, finding someone who will root for you through thick and thin, or having someone who see you for the real you and not what you represent.

January 11, 2018 at 12:51 PM

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I loved their home scene. her lazying around in sweats and him cleaning, not even a hint of boss-secretary in sight. they are so unique. this drama puts a surprising twist on everything. that´s why I trust even the end of ep 12 will be followed by something unpredictable.
and Chi Won & Vice Pres - also such a unique relationship.
and those subtexts and snarky commentaries - #are you a goat to eat paper?" I laughed so much what´t wrong with me is this all it takes I have weak resolve against humor like this

January 11, 2018 at 7:14 PM

January 11, 2018 at 12:54 PM

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YY might still be in cloud 9 with her new relationship, so she is ignoring all the most critical factors surrounding her relationship. All sources for misunderstandings and gossips are there for everyone to see. She’s not even worried about any of it. Living in the same house? Check. Dating her boss? Check. Dating the VP daughter’s ex-hub? Check. Going to and from work in the same car? Check. Sneaking out to have lunches together? Check.

Is CW even worried either? I know he does not care about other people’s opinion, but people will judge YY and they will drag her to hell.

January 11, 2018 at 1:21 PM

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His rebellion seems true to life to me. He is just recently abandoned by his father for his other family and his mother instead of being a full-time homemaker now is probably spending very little time at home due to the demand of her new job. They are also living in a much smaller and dingier space instead of the beautiful single-dwelling home and constantly worrying about their financial state. All of these are such life-altering events that a teenager would naturally acts out due to confusion and anxiety.

January 11, 2018 at 3:47 PM

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Due to hormonal, physiological, psychosocial changes that happen during teenage years, they act out the most during this time, even without any other stressors. Coupled with unstable family, peer pressure, and recent knowledge of his dad’s betrayal, his anger is understandable. I am even happy he lashes out to his mom, rather than go out get himself in dangerous situations.

I also believe that the kid is sensible enough to see how much his mom is suffering, but feels frustrated that he could not do much considering his age. Part of his anger could be guilt because his mom has to go back to the workforce and strive for the both of them, on top of faking her identity.

January 11, 2018 at 5:26 PM

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He's the same actor playing Rapping Reaper in Black, so as bratty as he is, am kinda glad he has a chance for teenage rebellion and doting mother after all he suffered in Black...
Am waiting for the day he bonds with Yul, and imagining how fun it'll be for Wangbi with two children keeping her hands full ^^

January 11, 2018 at 5:29 PM

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Perhaps where things get a little disconcerting with Gun-woo is that we don't seem to be seeing any concerted effort on the part of his mom regarding discipline, or trying to understand him or in trying to console him. Rather, she appears overwhelmed in his presence and almost on eggshells when speaking with him.

Recall their lunch scene, when he requested money, she just handed all of what she had over to him, without ever asking what it was for. He then spewed out some angry words and proceeded to stomp out.

The thing is, we have seen Jung-ae be perceptive, supportive and able to console, with Yul. We do know she has it in her! I don't doubt she knows her son is not in a good place. I think we just wish she would utilize her interpersonal skills she does have when interacting with her son.

January 11, 2018 at 1:43 PM

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I 100% agree that Yul knows Jung-ae is lying about something. That boy is much smarter than he'll let anyone know. That scene in an earlier episode where Director Jo brings the Iron Man bust to his office? Yul knew what Jo wanted and took him for a ride by playing the fool.

I wish I could sit Bo-na down and remind her of the phrase 'If he'll do it with you, he'll do it to you'. I'm certain Jo will throw her under the bus the second it looks like she might become a liability.

January 12, 2018 at 7:01 AM

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Yep, Yul definitely knows she's lying, probably suspects it's about Gun-woo, and is choosing to ignore it. He's giving her opportunities to come clean whenever he can and if she doesn't before someone else tells him things are gonna go south quick. He's Yul, though, and he'll forgive her.

January 11, 2018 at 4:55 PM

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Director Jo, sitting in the car, in that ridiculous disguise ..... a disguise whose fakeness can be spotted from the moon!! And then the huge, telephoto lens on the camera! I mean, he was parked just a couple of feet from the front of the house but he put a lens on the camera as if he were going to take pictures from across a lake!

January 11, 2018 at 5:41 PM

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He's a funny villain, I died laughing when he was talking to his secret lines in that room, they only showed the shadows and funny voices lol, it was hilarious. I am trying to find out who they are I can't suspect anyone because i like the workers.

January 11, 2018 at 5:09 PM

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And soo... enter the pretty ex-wife!

The thing about Jugglers is that the plot is pretty predictable (in the sense that it's a cliche, we all expected the ex-wife to appear at a certain point, and also to want Chi-won back), but it does cliche so well in a way that I look forward to watching each episode. Which is just perfect, because the lazy-watcher in me thrives on cliche, and I love it when cliches are done right.

Y'know what? I'm very glad that Yoon-yi told Chi-won that he wouldn't be able to get away with it just by hugging her. So many times a conflict is resolved just by a kiss or skinship, without showing actual communication between the leads, and I couldn't be happier that he actually sincerely apologized, and explained his rationale for not contacting her, and that she graciously accepted it. They're so good for each other, these two!

Besides that, I am also beginning to wonder if Chi-won only married Do-hee because he felt... pressured to do so. No doubt he definitely loved her in a certain way, but I wonder if the fact that they'd known each other from childhood and VP Do had probably brought him up/been a huge parental figure... had played a certain role in Chi-won marrying her. She definitely seems to have loved him more than he loved her.

January 11, 2018 at 5:45 PM

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That hadn't occurred to me, but I think you might be on to something with you comment about Chi-won feeling pressured to marry Do-hee. Not necessarily overt pressure, but passive pressure - knowing that the marriage would make two of the most important people in his life happy.

January 12, 2018 at 7:06 AM

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Yes, dead on. He also likely saw it as a way to make his unofficial family official. And when he realized the imbalance, and that marriage requires more than platonic friendship, he fixed it quickly before more damage was done even though he knew it might mean losing his family. Again.

January 11, 2018 at 5:13 PM

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Oof, Bo-na, what kind of attitude is that? Can't believe she didn't even feel the least apologetic for her tantrum and just accept Yoon-yi's apology as if it was her due. It seems easier to write her off as a friend, yet am still hoping she can see Cutter as the rat that he is and beat him in his own game. If she think for a bit, surely she can see nobody else but her own boss was bitchy enough to accuse her dad of document theft. Please Bo-na, be your smart self!
This episode is all about showing vulnerable moments, and how it makes people selfish, just as VP Do said. Am sad that he's sorta did a turnaround from the captain of Chi-won + Yoon-yi ship, but who can blame him for wanting to secure his daughter's happiness should anything happens to him. Chi-won feels a lot of guilt toward VP Do & Do-hee, and tho I'm sure he'll hold on to his present instead of past, it'll weigh him down to say no. Do-hee & Yoon-yi both feel insecure, and just want to cling to that familiar, comforting person. And Yul, oh poor puppy. Am so glad that on the one day he let himself mourn and miss his mom, he has somebody to comfort him.
That said, I think Yoon-yi's holding on to Chi-won might be the best for this new relationship. Am somehow feeling Do-hee is somewhat taciturn like Chi-won, and she probably just keep quiet about being lonely until she can't take it anymore and explode, hence the divorce. So maybe Yoon-yi with her palpable emotion is just what Chi-won need.
And so much yay for mom beating Cutter up!

January 11, 2018 at 5:36 PM

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I know that they're in the honeymoon stages of their relationship but guys come one!! BE more careful pls! I mean so many people who don't want to see then succeed have already hinted/outright told them that they know about their relationship.

January 11, 2018 at 6:22 PM

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Haven't seen this ep yet but they're getting cuter by the minute! Awwwe. I just love how CW tries to impress YY by flexing his muscles! Haha! I find it hilarious every single time YY doesn't seem to notice and CW's like *do I have to strip naked just so you'd notice?*. HAHAHAHA.

And the ex. I just hope they get to resolve whatever's left of their feelings for each other before things get too complicated and our main OTP has to suffer. I hope YY won't go the usual route of letting her man go just so VP could hear CW call him *Abeonim* again.

January 11, 2018 at 7:12 PM

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Awww...CW is too cute in this episode!
1.Him grumbling about YY not coming to see him box (though I agree with her here...He looks much better with glasses)
2. him hiding behind the comic after saying such a cheesy thing
3.him apologising for making YY worry... I loved how he bent down twice to look her in the eye and assure her...
4.his hand on her face....that really looks like those comic book characters. ..I'm getting weird ideas...
5.him worried sick about VP Do...it's the first time he's shown such emotions towards him
6.him horrified at seeing YY'S food..ha!
But I disagree with lollypip that YY doesn't know that it was CW who loved his wife less...In the bus he said that he felt bad...that the one who loves more starts feeling resentful and tired while the other one feels bad and guilty for having loved less...It seems the ex wants to get back with him...hopefully they both don't waver..

January 11, 2018 at 7:47 PM

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Could not wait for your recap LollyPip!! Thank you by the way, I know you are recapping both Two Cops and this one. Yoon Yi is so right about Daniel Choi looking much better with glasses. I believe he has such a strong bone structure and the glasses smooth him out and make him look lovable. I like the fact that Chi Won is opening more to everyone and it really struck me when he ate off VP Do's plate, felt like he was finally breaking down his "firewall".
This drama is so easy to like and its my to go drama for Mondays. Its fun and quick. Yes, in some ways its ridiculous like the running gag of the office not catching on to things, but its enough to let me relax and laugh and start my week. Though this week Yul had me crying along with him when I saw his little memorial for his mom. Specially when he put down his puppet since its the only thing he has from her. TT TT

January 12, 2018 at 2:27 AM

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"Bo-na says that she already knew Yoon-yi was one of Executive Director
Jo’s informants, and that she and Chi-won are dating. She says that she kept quiet to preserve Yoon-yi’s feelings, accusing Yoon-yi of never even thinking about her while everything was going down."

This was an interesting question why didn't she (YY) , because with all they have been showing about bona , I a surprise she knew all and kept it to her self ...

January 12, 2018 at 3:07 AM

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I loved the scene where they were on the bed and Chi Won explained about feeling guilty, it was such a sweet and realistic scene.
I feel like Gun Woo really needs his mom right now. It does parallell with Yul's story now and I would love to see the two boys and Jung Ae becoming each others support.
It's hard to take director Jo seriously but he really hit a low this week when he used Bo Na's father to get her on his side.
Then theres Chang So who I'm actually starting to like and understand why Yoon Yi was with him so long.